Nobilis Erotica

This month's patron-funded story is "Dino Space Pirates" by Stu Chebooch, narrated by Nobilis Reed. The ship hung derelict in space. Puffs of gas escaped intermittently from the hull. Its drive engine lay ripped open, inner parts exposed. The fuel had long since evaporated. Inside the hull, two people were working. “Crap,” said Marianne Vega. She pushed back from the machine she had been working on, holding out the soldering iron. “There's hardly any battery power left. This will keep life support going for another few hours. Maybe five, if we're lucky.” Peggy Terrid took the soldering iron and put it back on the work table. It clattered slowly in the low gravity. “How about a distress call, Captain Vega?” “No good,” she replied. “The hyperwave fried during our last call. If anyone had heard us, they'd be here by now. It was a war zone, after all, we're the last thing they'll be thinking about. We could send radio waves, but they won't be received for months. We'll be long dead. Us and our 25 passengers.” She